‘Bottomless chips really meant all you can eat’: World Cup travelers reveal their 18 greatest surprises in America

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Jun 16, 2026 6:30 PM EDT

Are Americans just naturally nice? Or is that just the World Cup talkin'?

It's not the American niceness that's drawing travelers to North America, though. World Cup fans from all over the world have been flocking to the US of A for one reason and one reason only: Soccer.

In truth, I don't know anything about soccer (futbol?), but I do know that Americans know how to do sports and fandoms, regardless of the court, the field, or the ball the teams are playing with. America and the Americans who live here have been flabbergasting the foreigners upon arrival, surprising everyone with a little dash of sweet tea, a healthy serving of fries, and a warm Buc-ces welcome to bring them into the States in style.

Red, white, and blue is more than just a cultural mechanism; it's the salt by which our jerky is dried and the cinnamon sugar with which we dust our funnel cakes. America goes big and doesn't go home until the job is finished. Patriotism runs rampant on Reddit's r/AskReddit sub this week when a guy asked eager, traveling foreigners what most surprised them about their World Cup escapades. Let me tell ya, it's not the price of a Miller Lite at the concession stand, it's the size of the nacho plate that was supposed to just be a "side," and it's the extroverted tendencies of an entire people.

Being in America is more than just the World Cup game experience; it's the entire picture of Hyatt hotel stays, Applebee's happy hours, and bottomless tortilla chips on the patio of a Mexican restaurant. Welcome to America, everyone!

Maybe while these travelers are at it, they can cruise over to NYC, enjoying a short, 35-hour northeast to watch a Knicks game. While no treks are simple day treks in America, at least we know how to send it when it comes to live events.

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I'm a little bit of an introvert, but I'd say that American niceness is compulsory and, when pressed into a social corner, I automatically default to overt friendliness.
Against my will, I'm the friendly American and the helpful American, even when I'm not feeling that social. Perhaps it's this knee-slapping reaction that's making everyone think that all Americans are friendly, or perhaps it's the mere truth that no other country is so chatty.
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